Queensland police acted appropriately when they shot a man who was provoking them to fire when he was armed with a knife , a coroner has found.
Luke Brian Gilbert was aged 24 when he was shot dead by two police officers at 12.20am October 1, 2022 at Airlie Beach in Queensland's Whitsunday region.
Following an inquest in Cairns in August last year, deputy state coroner Stephanie Gallagher handed down findings that the officers acted appropriately and within Queensland Police policies and procedures.
Minutes before the shooting, Mr Gilbert had left a nightclub after consuming alcohol at various locations in the hours beforehand.
Mr Gilbert proceeded to bump into one of the officer's arms while they were patrolling the street.
After the officers asked if Mr Gilbert was alright and what he was holding underneath his jumper, he produced a folding knife with an eight-centimetre blade and said: "shoot me, I dare ya".
Despite repeated directions to stop moving and drop the knife, Mr Gilbert increased the speed at which he approached the officers, telling them "f***ing shoot me f****t".
The two officers fired their handguns a total of five times with three bullets striking Mr Gilbert in the upper right chest, causing his rapid death despite the officers' attempts to provide first aid.
Ms Gallagher accepted that Mr Gilbert's death met the definition of victim precipitated homicide (VPH), or "a situation in which the victim's behaviour or actions provoke or contribute to their own death ... either intentionally or unintentionally ... such as threatening police officers with a weapon".
The coroner found Mr Gilbert had attended Townsville Hospital eight days before his death due to suicidal and homicidal ideation after a close friend's death and his relapse into alcohol abuse.
Mr Gilbert left the hospital before being assessed by a mental health clinician.
In her findings handed down on Friday, Ms Gallagher recommended a submission be made to the board of the Australian New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency to conduct research into VPH.
The agency advises police forces on managing high-risk situations to protect officers and the community.
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